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(No Model.)

G. B. DURKEE.

ZITHER.

No. 447,948. Patented Mar. 10,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE B. DURKEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO LYON dz HEALY,

OF SAME PLACE.

ZITHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,948, dated March10, 1891.

Application filed June 11, 1889. Serial No. 313,940. (No model.)

T 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. DURKEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at. Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Zithers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In a zither characterized by my invention the strings are stretchedbetween tuning-pegs IO or othersuitable tuning devices at one end of theinstrumentand a bridge which is seated directly upon and rigidly securedto the sounding-board at a point between the sound-hole and the tail endof the zither. The bridge is provided with pins or pegs, to which thestrings can be attached, and the set of pins thus provided is coveredand concealed by a combined guard and finger-rest, which is so attachedto the bridge that it can be held in position to cover the pins and alsoreadily lifted from such position in order to permit access to be had tothe pins for the purpose of attaching and detaching the springs. As apreferred arrangement, the combined guard 2 5 and finger-rest is hingedto the bridge, so that it can be readily swung back to an extent touncover the pins, although as a less desirable way it could be removablyattached to the bridge by readily-devised fastening de- 0 vices. I findthat by thus attaching the strings directly to a bridge whichis seatedupon and secured directly to the sound-board at a point between thesound-hole and tail end of the zither the pull of the strings upon theflexible sound-board will augment the vibration of the same and serve toproduce a better effect than where the strings pass over a bridge andconnect with a plate that is attached to a block on the instrument nearthe 1,0 tail end thereof, as has heretofore been proposed, and, further,produce a better sound than where the strings are attached to fasteningdevices directly upon the tail end of the instrument or to an elevatedbridge supported 4 5 from rigid side pieces of the body of the zither.To position and secure the bridge and attach thereto the strings asherein, while involving certain desirable ends hereinbefore set forth,permits me, while covering the strings with a guard attached to thebridge, to so locate the guard that it shall be in exact position toserve as a finger-rest along which a finger of the hand that is employedin picking the strings can be moved and guided.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of azither with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a sectiontaken on line 9 2 in Fig. 1 through a portion of the sound-board. Fig. 3represents the instrument in side elevation. Fig. 4 represents inperspective a portion of the instrument with the combined guard andfinger-rest swung back, so as to expose the string-holding pins.

In said drawings, A indicates the body portion of a zither, provided, asusual, with a sound-board (6. Seated directly upon and extendingnearlyacross the sound-board at a point not far back of the sound-hole a andbetween said sound-hole and the tail end of the instrument is a bar orstrip 13, which constitutes a bridge, and which, for example, can beheld rigid with the sound-board by screws, as in Fig. 2,wherein one ofthe screws 0 is shown in full lines and another indicated in dottedlines, it being observed that the screws extend through the bridge andsoundboard and engage a cleat or brace D, Fig. 2, that is appliedagainst the inner side of the sound-board. The pins or pegs for holdingthe rear ends of the strings are secured in the bridge B, and to saidblock or stripis hinged a combined guard and finger-rest E, consistingof a piece which is sorecessed, as at e, in order that when it is inposition to cover the pins it ma y, while being supported by the bridge,receive the upper ends of the pins, which rise to a suitable extent fromthe top surface of the bridge. By said arrangement the combined guardand finger-rest conceals the points whereat the strings areattached, andalso affords a rest for the finger of the player. This combined guardand linger-rest can be closed over the pins, as in the first threefigures, or swung back, as in Fig. 4, to permit access to be had to thepins. The said guard and finger-rest can be locked in posi tion over thepins by any suitable catch, a hook 6 being herein shown for suchpurpose. The bridge is provided along its top side with a metal bearingF, which is arranged in front of the setof string-holding pins, so thatthe a Ma ic strings which extend forwardly fro n the pins can rest upona metal surface in place of resting directly upon the bridge, and bysuch arrangement the bridge can be made of wood or other material thanmetal.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the mode herein involved ofsecuring the strings and covering the points whereat they are se-- curedaffords an exceedingly simple and compact arrangement, since the bridgeitself can be provided both with string-holders, such as knobs or pinsor other known equivalent string-holding devices, (as, for instance, aline of notches,) and with a bearing for the strings, which saidstring-holding devices and bearing canbe covered by the combined guard li'llhe combination, substantially as here: inbefoie set forth, in azither, of a stringholding bridge secured upon the flexible 3osound-board and a movable combined guard and "finger-rest extendingtransversely over the sound-board and arranged for covering anduncovering the points whereat the strings are held upon the bridge.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, in azither, of a stringholding bridge arranged across the soundboard, and acombined guard and finger-rest arranged transversely over thesound-board 0 and hinged to said bridge, for the purpose described. 1

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, in azither, of the stringholding bridge provided with pins which rise 45from'its top side for the purpose described, and the guard E, recessedlongitudinally along its underside and arranged for covering the pins.

GEORGE E. DURKEE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. G. PAGE, A. CoA'rEs.

